A new study refuels the debate over whether use of the drug increases the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration.

Advanced Cell Technology’s therapy has been deemed safe thus far in nine people affected by Stargardt disease and four with dry AMD.

A study out of Australia concludes that even moderate alcohol consumption can tempt fate when it comes to age-related macular degeneration.

Aimed at providing treatments and identifying causes, the projects have the potential to help those with LCA, AMD, RP and Usher syndrome, among other diseases.

In the early stages of a study involving an animal model, small amounts of what is known as AAQ enabled subjects to respond to light.

Researchers found that the equivalent of one or two cigarettes’ worth can adversely affect otherwise healthy eyes.

The Foundation and its partner RetroSense Therapeutics continue to push an optogenetic approach to treating various diseases.

More than 12,000 eye experts attended the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s annual conference in Fort Lauderdale.

The results support what was found after the first year of the study, and offer those with wet age-related macular degeneration a few treatment options

A recent study shows that, for some retinal diseases, the retina may have the potential to heal itself.

As more people are recruited for human studies, the demand for measuring the ways in which the eyes respond to treatments increases.

The start-up company MitoChem Therapeutics has identified three compounds that could benefit people affected by a variety of retinal diseases.

The treatment is designed to preserve vision in people with age-related macular degeneration by keeping rods and cones healthy.

In pre-clinical studies, genes from algae are being used in a cutting-edge therapy known as ‘optogenetics.’

The drug’s creator, Genentech, is hoping to reduce the number of injections for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.

The safety results, drawn from the studies’ initial stages, are “very encouraging,” according to the Foundation’s chief research officer.

A member of the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board is recognized for his pioneering work in battling age-related macular degeneration.

Diet truly does matter, according to a new study, in which mice eating foods that spike blood sugar experienced unhealthy retinal changes.

An international team of retinal researchers funded by the Foundation's TRAP program report excellent progress in moving their emerging treatments and cures – including gene therapies, stem cell treatments and pharmacological compounds – toward human studies.

People with wet age-related macular degeneration now have another treatment option in Eylea™, which, during clinical studies, proved effective in bi-monthly doses.

The Foundation’s Chief Research Officer contributes to a popular AARP radio program heard across the nation.

An international research team has taken an important step toward better understanding the strongest known genetic link to AMD.

The cancer drug used off-label to treat wet AMD is under scrutiny amid reports of infections caused by contaminated repackaged doses.

Sept. 8, 2011 - Tainted doses of Avastin, a cancer drug often used off-label to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), have been traced to a single compounding pharmacy in Hollywood, Florida, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which issued a nationwide alert last week. Repackaged injections of the drug, all of which came from the same pharmacy, caused serious eye infections in at least 12 patients in three Florida eye clinics, resulting, in some cases, in complete blindness, according to news reports.

July 29, 2011 – Earlier this week, a federal judge who suspended federal funding of embryonic stem cell research a year ago dismissed the lawsuit on which he’d based that decision. The dismissal, which allows the federal government to continue to fund embryonic stem cell research, falls in line with Obama administration policy put into place in 2009.

July 28, 2011 - The Foundation Fighting Blindness has announced funding for nine new 3-year grants in support of a wide range of innovative retinal research projects including the development of: enhanced genetic screening strategies, new gene therapies, vision-preserving drugs, and advanced retinal imaging techniques.

August 10, 2011 - In every cell in our body, DNA is sending messages, known as messenger RNA (mRNA), which tell our cells what proteins to make. Proteins are essential building blocks that provide our cells with structure and strength, regulate and protect our bodies’ chemistry, and facilitate the transport of oxygen and other essential substance. Proteins are also essential to the health of our photoreceptors—the light-sensing cells in the retina—and the biochemical process that makes vision possible. Hence, it is critical that the messages transmitted by our DNA are translated correctly, so that the right proteins are made.

July 20, 2011 - An innovative, targeted search technique known as whole-exome sequencing is dramatically reducing the time, effort and expense it takes to discover genetic defects that cause retinal disease. While the increasing raw power of genetic-screening technologies is continually accelerating the pace of gene discoveries, the whole-exome search strategy is a major leap forward.

Thanks to accelerating advances in computing power and lab instruments, discovering the genetic defect that causes a person’s retinal degenerative disease is continually getting quicker and less expensive.

June 15, 2011 - The first-ever clinical trial of gene therapy for Stargardt disease, a juvenile form of macular degeneration, is now underway at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland.

June 17, 2011 – Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), a biotechnology company, has announced enrollment of the first patients in Phase I/II clinical trials for their retinal-disease treatment derived from human stem cells. Taking place at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the trials are for people with Stargardt disease, a juvenile for of macular degeneration,  and dry age-related macular degeneration — both of which cause progressive, devastating vision loss.  The studies will enroll a total of 24 participants and are focusing primarily on safety and tolerability of the treatments.

One reason it takes so long to develop a drug that serves as either a treatment or a cure for a specific disease is that it often takes researchers years, even decades, to screen the innumerable compounds that go into making the drug. Or at least it used to. These days, thanks to recent advances in computer, robotic and data-processing technologies, such tests can take only weeks, as long as researchers have the right resources, which can be very costly and difficult to access.

One-year results from a clinical trial show that Lucentis® and Avastin® were equally effective in preserving vision in people with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Known as the Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatment Trials (CATT), the 1,200-participant multicenter study is the largest comparison to-date of the two popular AMD treatments. The highly-anticipated results were published online Thursday, April 28, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Foundation-funded researchers are developing an elegant approach to wiping out the toxic, vision-robbing molecules common to many retinal degenerative diseases. They hope to turn their emerging research into a cross-cutting treatment that has the potential to preserve vision in people with a broad range of retinal conditions.

A research team funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness used an innovative repair technique to correct the disease-causing genetic defect in stem cells derived from a person’s skin — stem cells that hold the potential to treat their retinal degenerative condition.

A research team from Kobe, Japan has taken a major step forward in developing a functional retina from embryonic stem cells.

Researchers in laboratories are making exciting progress in finding treatments that demonstrate strong potential for saving or restoring vision. These advancements offer great hope, but collaboration among the right players is critical to advancing treatments with promise into clinical trials and to people who need them. The Foundation recently hosted the 4th Annual Retinal Innovation Symposium in Orange County, Ca. to foster this necessary exchange, bringing together leading retinal experts, venture capitalists, biopharmaceutical companies, and biomedical entrepreneurs interested in advancing retinal research.

Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) has received authorization from the FDA to begin the first-ever human study of a retinal degenerative disease treatment derived from human stem cells. The Phase I/II clinical trial will evaluate the treatment in people with Stargardt disease, a juvenile form of macular degeneration that causes progressive, devastating vision loss.

Two Phase III clinical studies have shown that injections of VEGF Trap every eight weeks were as effective as injections of Lucentis® every four weeks in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Oxford Biomedica, a gene therapy company in the U.K., has received FDA authorization to launch a clinical trial of its RetinoStat® gene therapy for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration.

The FDA has approved the use of an implantable miniature telescope (IMT) for enhancing the central vision of people with end-stage, untreatable age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

An international research team, funded in part by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, has used gene therapy to reactivate retinal cells that were previously unresponsive to light. The treatment was delivered to cones, the retinal cells that provide central and daytime vision. Investigators evaluated the gene therapy in two mouse models of retinal degenerative disease, as well as cultures of human retinal tissue. Using a variety of tests, the researchers demonstrated that the treated cells restored functional vision, and that the restoration of vision persisted over a long period of time.

Researchers have found that a gene known as LIPC appears to be associated with a decreased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans 55 years-of-age and older. The finding gives researchers more clues about AMD, a complex disease caused by multiple genetic and environmental factors, and potentially new targets for vision-saving preventions and treatments.

People with retinal degenerative diseases are not only at greater risk of cataracts, but also complications due to their removal.

For many years, people with retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Usher syndrome, and Stargardt disease have been frequently told by their eye care professionals that “there’s nothing we can do.”

Researchers funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness are moving promising treatments and cures into human studies, and in the not-too-distant future, there are likely to be therapies that will enable eye care professionals to better treat many retinal degenerative diseases.

If you have an inherited retinal degenerative condition such as retinitis pigmentosa, Usher syndrome or Stargardt disease, should you get genetically tested? Is there a benefit in trying to determine the genetic variation that is causing your condition?

Dr. Michael Gorin at Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA is conducting a nationwide study of genetic and other risk factors that contribute to the development of age-related macular degeneration (also known as age-related maculopathy). You or members of your family may be eligible to participate in this observational study, (this is not a treatment trial) which does not require that you come to UCLA, but allows you to participate through a confidential and secure website.

October 18, 2011 - Blindness and visual impairment affect more people than you might realize; in fact, one out of every 28 Americans over the age of 40 suffers from some form of blindness. While retinal degenerative diseases cause vision loss in over 10 million Americans, it’s important that we remember that many millions more suffer blindness from other causes.

Embryonic stem cells are taking an important step toward becoming a treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) thanks to Pfizer’s expected announcement that they will financially back development of this therapeutic approach at University College London (UCL) in London.

Owings Mills, MD - March 26, 2009 — An innovative technology, employing a tiny capsule implanted in the eye, is stabilizing vision in people suffering from dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT), developed by Rhode Island-based Neurotech, preserved vision in a majority of the 51 people who participated in a Phase II clinical trial.

The Foundation Fighting Blindness has appointed four new national trustees to further advance the organization’s fundraising, organizational development, and volunteer recruitment efforts.

Highlights from the 2009 Day of Science Meeting Hosted by the Foundation Fighting Blindness

Dr. Al Maguire captivated the Day of Science audience when he played a video of an eight-year-old boy, who after being treated with a landmark gene therapy, was able to quickly navigate an obstacle course he was previously unable to follow. The audience erupted in loud applause when Dr. Maguire added, “That boy has put away his blind cane and is now enrolled in a mainstream school.”

Sirion Therapeutics Developing Promising Treatments for Retinal Diseases

Sirion Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company based in Tampa, Florida, has three promising drugs for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases in its development pipeline. Two are oral medications that may provide treatment for retinal diseases that are caused by the accumulation of toxic deposits in the retina, such as dry agerelated macular degeneration (AMD), Stargardt disease, and Best disease.

Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Curing Day Blindness

A new advance in gene therapy is providing hope for people with a debilitating retinal disease known as achromatopsia or day blindness. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have used gene therapy to successfully treat dogs with the same condition.

Neurotech’s innovative encapsulated cell technology (ECT), which shows promise for treating a wide range of retinal diseases, has received Fast Track status from the FDA. Fast Track status is given to therapies that address an unmet medical need. Also, the FDA will review an application for marketing approval of a Fast Track treatment within six months. Neurotech plans to release results from their three Phase II/III clinical trials in spring 2009. At that point the company may seek FDA marketing approval for the treatment to make it generally available and/or conduct additional clinical studies.

In a pioneering study at the University of Washington, FFB-funded researchers discovered a way to prod retinal cells to regenerate after injury. If perfected, the approach could be used to restore retinal tissue, and vision, for people with a variety of retinal degenerative diseases including retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.

Three young adults with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) receiving gene therapy in a Phase I clinical study at the University of Florida and University of Pennsylvania demonstrated improved vision in brightly and dimly lit settings. The gene therapy was also shown to be safe for all three participants, who were ages 21-24.

Initial results of the study were published today in an online edition of the journal Human Gene Therapy. Additional findings from the study will be published shortly in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Allergan is launching two clinical trials to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the drug brimonidine in slowing the progression of retinitis pigmentosa and the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Two of the world’s top retinal researchers came to Capitol Hill on June 24 to educate congressional staff about their landmark clinical trial in which they used gene therapy to restore some vision in three young adults who were virtually blind from a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Seventy people attended the briefing, which was hosted by the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

For the first time, Foundation-funded scientists have created an animal model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that closely represents the vision-robbing disease in humans. This advancement gives biopharmaceutical companies a new and invaluable platform for the development of therapies that can stop the AMD process at an early stage, before any vision is lost. And, this new mouse model will help us move closer to a cure for all forms of AMD — both wet and dry.

For people with the most advanced retinal degenerative disease - those who are blind or have only light perception - artificial retinas are providing promise for restored vision.

Second Sight® Medical Products is now conducting a Phase II human study of its second-generation artificial retina - the Argus II - in clinical centers in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe (England, France, and Switzerland).

Three young adults with virtually no vision can now read several lines on an eye chart and see better in dimly lit settings thanks to an innovative gene therapy aiming to reverse blindness in a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa known as Leber congenital amaurosis or LCA. One person was even able to better navigate an obstacle course several weeks after receiving the therapy.

In 2005, French researchers José Sahel, M.D., and Thierry Léveillard, Ph.D., won the Foundation’s Annual Trustee Award for the most promising advance of the year: Identifying a protein that shows great potential for preserving vision in people affected by a variety of retinal degenerative diseases. Sahel and Léveillard, both with the Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts in Paris, are now part of a new FFB-funded research center chartered with moving this promising protein into clinical trials.

The latest therapies for wet age-related macular degeneration — treatments such as Lucentis™ and Macugen® — are administered every four to six weeks to stop hemorrhaging underneath the retina that causes sudden and signifi can't vision loss. While these therapies are often effective, the bleeding usually returns after the treatments are stopped, and the patient must be retreated.

An international team of investigators found that a toxic substance called A2E, which is believed to cause vision loss in people with Stargardt disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), may also be the vision-robbing culprit in Best disease.

Nanoparticles are a rapidly emerging technology that is appearing in emerging treatments for retinal diseases, cancer, HIV, and a variety of other conditions. These microscopic particles — which are like tiny rocks as small as one fifty-thousandth of an inch — are uniquely able to penetrate cells and tissue for the delivery of therapeutic genes and molecules.

Shortly after Alan Brint was born in 1997, his parents David and Betsy realized that his vision was not right. They were devastated to learn from retinal experts that young Alan was nearly blind because of a genetic disease called Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). “It’s every parents’ worst nightmare,” says David, “to find out that something is tremendously wrong with your child. Blindness never even occured to us until the doctor said, “Your child is blind and there is nothing we can do at this time.”

An eye drop developed by Othera Pharmaceuticals holds potential for being a uniquely effective treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), because it is believed to address three factors that can cause the vision-robbing condition — inflammation, oxidative stress, and unhealthy blood vessel growth (angiogenesis).

An FFB-funded research team from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Utah used human neural stem cells — cells derived from the brain — to rescue vision in a rodent model of retinal degenerative disease.

Children born blind from a devastating retinal condition called Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) may soon be able to see thanks to an innovative gene replacement therapy that has just moved into a clinical trial.

The umbilical cord is not only the lifeline for a developing baby, but it might also save sight for people affected by a variety of retinal degenerative diseases.

Dr. Matthew LaVail was awarded the Llura Liggett Gund Award—the most prestigious honor awarded by The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB)—for lifetime achievement in retinal disease research.

Half of all cases of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) could be caused by a variation in a particular gene, according to UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers involved in a multicenter study.

Genentech, Inc. announced today that preliminary results of its Phase III trial of Lucentis™ (ranibizumab) met primary efficacy goals for treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Tiny button will treat CNV in Phase I/II clinical trial
Theragenics Corporation® will investigate the safety and efficacy of using the TheraSight™ Ocular Brachytherapy System to treat wet AMD. With the TheraSight Ocular Brachytherapy System, therapy is administered using a tiny button, which produces low-energy x-rays. The button is mounted on an applicator wand, which is positioned behind the eye and held in place, touching the outer surface of the eye for 5 to 20 minutes. The low-energy x-rays interfere with the growth of abnormal blood vessels, a process known as choroidal neovascularization (CNV), which is responsible for vision loss in people with wet AMD.

A 10-person evaluation of the Artificial Silicon Retina (ASR) microchip, developed by Optobionics (Naperville, Illinois), is being expanded to 20 patients at three sites: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Wilmer Eye Institute), Emory University School of Medicine/Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Rush University Medical Center.

Ed Stone, Val Sheffield, Tom Casavant, and their colleagues at the University of Iowa’s Center for Macular Degeneration and Allied Retinal Diseases see no reason why there shouldn’t be cost-effective, efficient, and accurate genetic testing available for every person who has an inherited retinal degenerative disease (RDD). They’re certain that more and better treatments will be attainable, if genetic testing — and the information gleaned from it — is more accessible to researchers, ophthalmologists, and patients. With support from The Foundation Fighting Blindness and other organizations, they are well poised to make this plan for ubiquitous testing a reality.